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(No Model.)

A. L. EATON.

STOCK MARKER. N0. 547,424. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

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ANDREIV L. EATON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONEIIALF TO WV. W. \VILOOX & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

STOCK-MARKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,424 dated October 8, 1 895.

Application filed February 28, 1895. Serial No. 540,008. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ANDREW L. EATON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Stock-Markers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stock-markers of the kind in which the tag or marking device comprises a couple of plates or disks respectively provided with a stem anda socket as a means for connecting the plates or disks together after the fashion of a two-part button.

Prominent objects of my invention are to provide a light, simple, and economical construction and to provide a simplified and improved means whereby the disks or plates can be permanently and securely connected with each other with ease, certainty, and rapidity and at the same time be set and held apart at a distance corresponding with the thickness of the ear or other portion of the animal to which the device is applied. I attain these objects by providing one of the disks or plates with a stem, which is designed to extend through the ear or other suitable part of the animal, and which is provided with a socket having its bore formed of different diameters, and providing the remaining disk or plate with a shank formed in correspondence with the socket, but having each portion of one diameter somewhat larger than the corresponding portion of the socket-bore, which is to ultimately receive it, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of my improved stock-marker. Fig. 2 shows a section through the two disks or plates respectively provided witha shank and a stem having the socket formed therein, the shank being in elevation and the stem in section and the being separated, so as to illustrate the two-part device preparatory to use. Fig. 3 is a like View showing the shank inserted to some extent in the socket. Fig. 4is a like view showing the stem crowded in the socket and inserted up to the inner end of the latter. Fig. 5 shows the stem prior to its socurement to one of the disks.

The disk or plate A is provided with a shank tion I) of the shank which is nearest the disk is of a greater diameter than the end portion 1) which is farthest from said disk. These portions of the shank are preferably, but not necessarily, cylindric, and as a simple and preferred construction the shank is headed down upon the outer side or face a of the disk, as at W. The opposite plate or disk 0 is provided with a stem D, which is preferably,but not necessarily, cylindric and designed to extend through the ear or other suitable part of the animal. The stem D can be secured to the disk 0 in any suitable way, but as a preferred arrangement the stem can be first formed with one of its end portions reduced in size, as at d in Fig. 5, and after inserting such end portion through a central opening in the disk, it can be headed down upon the latter, as at d. If desired, the shank B can in likemanner be secured to the disk A.

The stem D is provided with a socket, which corresponds with the stem B in that it is formed by a bore of two diametersthat is to say, the inner end portion (1 of the socketbore is of less diameter than the outer end portion (1 of said bore. The reduced end portion 19' of the shank is, however, of greater diameter than the corresponding reduced inner end portion d of the socket-bore, and the larger portion b of the shank is of greater diameter than the outer end portion d of said socket-bore. The smaller or reduced end portion I) of the shank is slightly less in diameter than the larger outer end portion 01 of the socket-bore, whereby it can enter the larger portion of the socket-bore without crowding. By such arrangement the larger portion of the socket -bore provides a guide for the smaller portion of the shank and also provides a socket portion into which the larger portion of the shank can only enterby crowdmg.

The shank B is preferably made of aluminum, although other suitable soft metal or soft-metal composition could be employed, and the stem D is desirably made of like material. After passing the stem D through the ear of the animal to be marked the shank can be introduced within the socket and crowded therein by using a suitable pair of pliers having jaws adapted for engaging the heads of the shank and stem.

Preparatory to crowding the shank Within the socket the smaller portion 1) of the shank will be guided by the large portion 61 of the socket-bore, and hence it can be easily directed to the smaller portion 01 of the socketbore regardless of the usual movements of the animal. The larger portion d of the socket-bore, which first receives the small end portion of the stem, also permits the operator to easily keep the shank centered within the stem preparatory to applying the pinchers. The small end portion 1) of the shank must, however, be crowded within the small portion d of the socket-bore in order to enter the same, and likewise the large portion 1) of the stem must be crowded within the large portion d of the socket-bore in order to enter such portion of the stem. The shank has practically two bearings therein of different areas. By making the stem and shank of aluminum or similar material the offsets respectively on the shank and, in the socketbore of the stern will be more or less obliterated when the shank is forced well up within the socket-bore, as in Fig. 4, in which the socket and shank are understood to have been primarily shaped, as in Fig. 2.

The act of forcing the two portions of the shank into the two portions of the socket-bore is illustrated in Fig. 3, and by further reference to such figure it will be seen that the shank and stem can be securely held together by causing the portions 1) and b of the stem to extend only part way within the correspond ing portions d and d of the socket-bore, since the latter will provide two bearings, respectively, and firmly engaged by corresponding bearing portions of the shank. In this way the shank and stem are adjustably connected, since, if desired, the two can be secured together so as to rigidly hold the disks apart at any distance varying, for example, from the intervening space in Fig. 3 to the intervening space in Fig. 4. The disks can therefore be set and held apart with reference to the thickness of the ear of the animal by an exceedingly simple and effective construction and arrangement of shank and socket. Obviously the shank could be provided with more than two portions of different relative diameters,

and in such case the socket-bore would be provided with corresponding portions without departing from the spirit of my invention. Also, the length of the larger portion 01 of the socket bore can be the same as the length of the smaller portion 17 of the shank or it can be either of a greater or less length, it being preferable, however, to make the two of about equal lengths.

It has heretofore been proposed to adjustably connect a shank on one disk with the opposite disk in stock-markers, illustrations of such being found in United States Patents No. 495,270, showing springs on one disk for engaging a barbed shank on the opposite disk, and No. 421,680, showing a screw-threaded shank on a hemisperical head engaging in a threaded socket formed in another hemispherical head. My improved device, however, dispenses with the objectionable features of springs and threading and involves other obvious matters of improvement over such construction. I am also aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide a two-part button comprising a disk having a tubular neck which forms a holder for ashank having a frusto-conical end portion, and a second disk having a hollow stem formed with a straight cylindric bore from'end to end, as set forth in Letters Patent of the United States No. 341,418; but in such case the shank has but one bearing in the stem, and proper connection between the two results in the abutment of one end of the tubular stem againsta shoulder formed by an end of the neck which holds the shank.

My improved stock-marker can also be used asa button to be secured upon garments and the like, and hence I desire to cover the device for both purposes.

What I claim as my invention is A stock-marker or button comprisinga plate or disk provided with a stem having bearing portions of different diameters, and a plate or disk provided with a stem having a socketbore adapted to receive said shank and formed with corresponding bearing portions of different areas, substantially as described.

ANDREW L. EATON. \Vitnesses:

RETA M. WAGNER, ARTHUR F. DURAND.

ICC 

